The Last Line

Shot-stopping, angles and owning the square — the half of goalkeeping nobody drills

Hurling
Goalkeepers · U14–Adult
60 min
2–6 keepers plus a mentor
1 coach
Effort 3/5
Goal to the 21m line
goalkeeping
shot-stopping
angles
set-pieces

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: A goal, a bag of 12+ sliotars, hurleys and helmets, 20 cones, 2 poles or tall cones, a notebook or phone for the numbers

Warm-up8 min

Set and Ready

Setup: Goalmouth, five cones in a shallow arc across the goal area, keepers in pairs, one ball per pair. Odd keeper works with the mentor.

How it works: Warm up as keepers, in the position ye actually save from. First the ready stance: feet a little wider than the shoulders, weight on the balls of the feet, hurley held out in front in two hands, bas down and slightly off the ground, eyes level. Partner rolls balls left and right along the arc: shuffle, get the body behind it, block or gather, reset to ready. Then chest-high service at half pace: meet it in front with the bas, control, reset. Quick feet through the cone arc between sets. The habit tonight is that every action starts and ends in the same balanced ready shape.

What to say

“Tell them: 'weight forward on the balls of the feet — a keeper on their heels is already beaten.'”
“Tell them: 'get the body behind the ball, the hurley is the second barrier, not the first.'”
“Tell them: 'reset to ready after every touch — the next shot is always coming.'”

Easier

All service rolled and gentle; skip the chest-high set for young keepers; shorter arc.

Harder

Partner mixes side and height without warning; every gather must reset to a perfect ready stance inside a second.

Activity15 min

Behind the Ball

Setup: Keeper in goal, mentor striking from 20m with the ball bag, distance bands and a slow build. Cones mark the corners of the goal. One keeper works, the others fetch and log.

How it works: Shot-stopping technique, built from the ground up. The mentor strikes at increasing pace: first along the ground, then chest height, then the awkward one that dips or rises. The keeper's job is always the same order — feet move to get the body in line, then the hurley presents the full face as the barrier, then the hands finish the save and the body smothers any rebound. Ground shots: get down behind it, bas flat to the deck, no gap under the hurley. High shots: meet it in front, protect the hand with the bas, catch or bat wide, never straight back out. Ten shots, rotate, three rounds. Log saves and note which height leaks.

The technique, step by step

Feet move first — get the body in line with the ball.
Present the full face of the bas as the barrier.
Hands and body finish the save behind the hurley.
Control the rebound or bat it to safety, then reset.

Common mistakes

Reaching with the hurley while the feet stay still — the body has to get in line first.
Batting the high ball straight back out in front — send it wide, over, or catch it clean.

What to say

“Tell them: 'feet before hurley, hurley before hands — the body in line is the save, the hands just finish it.'”
“Tell them: 'no daylight under the bas on the ground ball — flat to the deck, knuckles down.'”
“Tell them: 'bat the high one wide or over, never spill it back into the danger in front of you.'”

Easier

Struck at half pace and straight at the keeper; ground and chest height only; strikes from 25m.

Harder

STEPR: strikes to the corners under a called side that comes late; add a low dipping ball; the keeper must control every save and clear it to a target inside three seconds.

Activity14 min

Narrow the Angle

Setup: Keeper in goal, two channels marked toward each corner and a spot for a 1v1 start at the 20m line. Poles mark the width the keeper is protecting. Feeder with the ball bag.

How it works: The save that starts before the shot — position and angle. First, static: the mentor stands at different spots around the D and the keeper takes the correct starting position, coming off the line just enough to narrow the shooting angle without leaving the lob on. Walk the arc and show how a step off the line shrinks the target. Then live: a forward runs a 1v1 from the 20m line and the keeper reads it — hold the position, narrow as the shooter commits, stay big and patient, and only go to ground or spread late when the shot or the touch is certain. Six 1v1s, rotate. The lesson is that most saves are made with the feet and the starting spot, not a dive.

What to say

“Tell them: 'a step off the line makes the goal look tiny to the shooter — position is the first save.'”
“Tell them: 'stay big and stay patient — the keeper who commits first loses the duel.'”
“Tell them: 'do not leave the lob on — narrow the angle, do not sprint out and get chipped.'”

Easier

Static angle work only, no live 1v1; the shooter must strike from a set spot so the keeper grooves the position.

Harder

STEPR: the 1v1 starts wider so the angle is live; the shooter may hand-pass to an overlapping runner so the keeper must reset the angle; add a five-second attack clock.

The rest of this session is free — along with 3 more this week.

PitchPlans coaching team

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